34 Must Read Photography Tips From The Professionals

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Article Collaborators : Kristjan Porm Photography Mike Locker Photography Strada Photography Eclipse Studios Photography Between Us Photography Faure Valletta Photography

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Collaborators Kristjan Porm Photography Mike Locker Photography Strada Photography Eclipse Studios Photography Between Us Photography Faure Valletta Photography

Kristijan Porm Photography

Kristijan Porm

The Hero Shot

Pick a standout shot to help guide the look and feel of the album. “When I took this photo of Yemee and David against the red wall, I knew it would be the hero shot of the album. The wind swept the veil along the wall at exactly the right moment. Their wedding was based around The Rocks in Sydney so this photo, captured in the laneways of the Rocks, held a certain significance.” 

Sense of Place

If marrying in a unique location, make sure some images capture that uniqueness. At Louise and Ian’s Thailand wedding, Kristjan arranged their photo shoot among the temples of Koh Samui to capture the cultural element. “The hero shot was an image of them kissing in front of a giant gold Buddha. It encapsulates their love and their connection with Thailand and it seems the Buddha is both protecting them and blessing them,” he says.

Kristjan's Wedding Album Tips

1. Let the photos dictate the design, not the other way around.
2. Keep the design clean and classic to ensure it never dates.
3. Don’t go for too many special effects.

Taylor-Made Photography

Darren Van De Wint

Bridal Portrait

Every album should have a beautiful portrait of the bride. “I love the beauty a bride projects, as well as the feeling
of nervousness on the morning of her big day, and I try to capture that in her expression,” says Darren Van de Wint from Taylor-Made Photography. 

Bride Walking Away

Shows off the back of the bride’s dress in full length. “This is a photo every mother-of-the-bride wants,” says Darren. “I love this one because it’s done in a natural and candid way.”

Couple's Portrait

The couple’s portrait should capture a special moment between the bride and groom. “I think moments are the most important images to capture because they tell the stories of the bride and groom’s day,” says Darren.

Happy and Smiley

A traditional smiling shot of the couple looking at the camera. “I think this image is essential because it shows off who the people are,” says Darren.

Darren's Wedding Album Tips

1. Always budget for more images in the album than you think you will need.
2. Use a photographer who will pre-design an album for you so when you return from your honeymoon it simply needs fine-tuning.

Strada Photography

Victoria Blackman

Groom in Waiting

A photo of the groom waiting for the bride. “I consider it an essential wedding album shot because the sense of anticipation contributes to the story of the day,” says Victoria.

Details

Food, champagne, flowers. Victoria says details are very important because they fill out the story of the wedding. Food and beverage are two standout reception details that are often forgotten in photography. “Couples spend most of their budget on these, so remember them!” says Victoria.

Victoria's Wedding Album Tips

1. Get a professional-quality photo book with lay-flat pages, high-quality printing, and a matching box. A cheap photo book won’t do your photos justice.
2. Take your time to plan your album. Your photographer should not place limitations on the number of revisions — it’s important to get the layout right.
3. Album design takes practice. Unless you are a graphic designer or have a natural talent for design, leave it to the professionals.

Mike Locker Photography

Mike Locker

Long Lens Shots

Images taken with a long lens capture moments with the couple at ease. “I love the fact that all these images are unobtrusive. They are candid moments, like the couple are in their own world, which is exactly how they should be,” says Mike.

Mike's Wedding Album Tips

1. Pick the best 100 shots of the day.
2. Highlight the hero shots.
3. Make sure the photos are laid out in a way that tells the story of the day, beginning with the girls getting ready and ending with the couple dancing and leaving the reception.

Eclipse Studios

Elias Pap

Walking Together

Natural walking shot using a long lens. “I think natural walking shots depict a candid romantic moment between the couple,” says Elias. “I try and use a background that was part of their day, such as a cathedral.”

Ring Shot

A photo of all the rings together. “I try to capture the couple’s wedding rings as creatively as possible,” says Elias. “I usually try and place the rings together with some other background or textures that depict the couple’s personalities.”

Bride getting ready

Bride preparing for the ceremony. “Capturing images and emotion at the houses or hotels when the bride and bridesmaids are getting ready are a must for the album. It gives it a documentary/ editorial feel and also captures all the excitement and emotion that is buzzing around.”

Elia's Wedding Album Tip

Choose detail shots and portraits that express emotion, that bring out your personalities. This will help create a personalised album that won’t look like a fashion shoot.

Between us Photography

Jeremy Byrnes

Whispers and Giggles

The groom whispers sweet nothings in his bride’s ear. “This shot of Christie and Jo Barbagallo wasn’t staged at all. It was a moment between family photos. It goes to show that if you don’t have a photographer ready for those moments, the ‘reality’ of your day will be lost,” says Jeremy.

Fun-loving

A shot of the couple being a bit silly. This picture of Taryn and Josh Shipman shows the couple’s sense of humour, even though it rained on their wedding day. “No matter how well you’ve planned your big day, you’ll
always be presented with a ‘curve ball’ you will have to roll along with. Remember to just
enjoy the day no matter what happens,” says Jeremy.

Jeremy's Wedding Album Tips

1. Choose a quality photographer from the outset as they will be able to capture the important images, people, and emotion needed to tell the story of the day when it comes to creating the wedding album.
2. The album’s design should complement the photos.

Faure Valletta Photography

Jamie Faure

Groom Getting Ready

Organise your day so the photographer has time to visit the groom pre-ceremony. “I like to include pictures of the groom preparing — and highlights such as the shoes, the suits, and the cufflinks,” says Jamie.

Natural Shots

Candid moments where the bride and groom are at ease. “These natural and real photos, where the couple are not looking at the camera, capture the celebration of love that the couple feel for one another,” says Jamie.

Car Shot

A couple has to include the bridal car in their album. Jamie likes to include photos of the bridal cars not only
because they are photogenic, but because “normally it’s in the bridal car that the couple leave the ceremony together for the first time as husband and wife”.

Jamie's Wedding Album Tips

1. Choose a flush-mount, magazine-style album, meaning the album is bookbound and the prints run from edge to edge and are laminated. The photos look amazing and the quality of the product speaks for itself.
2. Don’t be afraid to spread one memorable picture over a double spread in the album; let it make a statement. 

Photography & Video

Alexander Alba

Ceremony Highlights

Those essential moments of significance during the ceremony. These include the exchanging of the rings and vows, the signing of the certificate, the first kiss as husband and wife, and the couple walking back down the aisle together. “It’s also important to capture the emotion on the faces of the bride and groom during these moments,” says Alex.

Alex's Wedding Album Tip

To make it easier for the couple to choose images, we suggest selecting 20 each from the groom’s house, the
bride’s house, the church, garden (or photo shoot), and reception.